26 THE CAAR COMMUNICATOR DEEPENING THE LABOUR POOL foreign and seasonal workers. In 2022, the ag sector saw a labour shortage of 7.4 percent, a number that looks even worse when the Canada-wide average of labour shortages was 5.9 percent. According to the CAHRC survey, two out of every five agricultural employers were unable to find enough workers for all the jobs they had open. Worse still, one-third of all ag employers said they did not receive “any applications from Canadians during the hiring season, and 28 percent received just one or two applications.” No matter how one slices it, these labour shortcomings played havoc with “lost sales, production delays, cancelled expansions, as well as excessive stress on owners and staff” already in place. Just as the trade sectors throughout North America have been struggling to attract new talent to their varied industries—plumbing, truck technicians, HVAC, et al.—so too are the ag sectors struggling to find qualified Canadian workers. While those within the CAHRC survey said that they always endeavour to hire job seekers from Canada, fewer Canadians seem interested in working within the industry. It’s why the agriculture sector in Canada (and the US) has increasingly turned to foreign workers. And no matter what you think, Canada’s foreign worker contingent grew from 2017 on. Foreign workers in primary agriculture increased by over 30 percent from 2017 through 2022—53,842 people to 70,365. Crop production was unsurprisingly the biggest employer of foreign workers, though the largest sector of foreign worker growth was seen in the poultry and egg, beef, dairy, and swine segments. Forecast: Labour Shortage Continues According to crystal ball-gazing CAHRC’s report on the agriculture labour market forecast, it expects “that the domestic labour gap in Canada’s agricultural sector will increase 15 percent over the next eight years, from 87,700 in 2023 to 101,100 by 2030 during peak season.” The report cited the continued aging Canadian population as a key reason for the decline in labour. Well, it’s actually labour retirements without enough young people coming into the sector. “The aging population will continue to decrease the availability of Canadian workers in agriculture industries, with over 85,300 retirements expected over the next eight years—equaling almost 30 percent of the current Canadian workforce in agriculture,” the report added. As well, the report suggested that 80 percent of these “otherwise vacant positions” will be filled by foreign workers. Even still, CAHRC said it means 22,200 unfilled job vacancies will remain unfilled during peak season by 2030. The report said that greenhouse and nursery production, fruit and tree nut farming, and vegetable farming were the industries where Canadians remained unlikely to fill job vacancies. Crop-producing industries are expected to see the largest gap in labour fulfillment, with an increase of “17 percent between 2023 and 2030, reaching 80,900 in 2030. “This will leave 15,200 vacant positions in crop production in 2030.” For the animal production sector, the report said that “the peak domestic labour gap is forecast to experience a more modest nine percent increase from 2023 to 2030, leading to nearly 4,100 vacant positions by 2030. “Additionally, the domestic labour gap in agriculture wholesale industries is expected to ease slightly, decreasing three percent between 2023 and 2030. Nevertheless, over 1,100 vacancies will remain by 2030,” said the report. For those agricultural businesses needing harvest or livestock labourers, job vacancies are expected to decrease through 2030. It won’t only be because more foreign labour will be used; rather, it’s also because of upgraded automation—perhaps more precision agriculture equipment—and gains in labour productivity. Even still, labour-intensive ag jobs will continue to see the largest number of job vacancies by 2030. To resolve this, the CAHRC warns that “it will be essential to implement targeted strategies to address labour shortages in occupations with specific skill sets within the agriculture sector.” Building a Better Workforce Getting more people to commit to employment within the ag industry is tough. In the past, farm families would hope that the eldest son would take over the family business, with the younger siblings going into other businesses after studying more in college or university. Daughters were expected to get married into an agricultural family or not—it didn’t matter. Yes, the world was the way it was. But closer to the present, farm families were dis-
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